​Every morning and evening construction workers make their commute to and from the jobsite. Days are spent at great heights, moving in repetition and surrounded by heavy noise. Staying safe on the job site requires unique materials and equipment depending on your specific needs.
It’s important to utilize the following equipment while on the construction site to avoid and prevent personal injury.
Eye and face protection: Vision impairment and blindness can be caused by tasks such as welding, cutting, grinding and nailing due to hazardous chemicals and flying materials.
Equipment to use: Protect yourself by wearing safety glasses and face shields when necessary.
Foot protection: Injury to the feet can occur by a variety of construction site tasks including heavy equipment, falling objects and slipping and falling.
Equipment to use: Be sure to invest in footwear that fits correctly, is resistant to punctures and has slip-resistant soles. Heavy-duty work boots will help avoid crushed toes and dangerous falls that could have serious health consequences.
Hand protection: The construction site exposes workers to hand injuries with every task they perform. From lifting heavy objects, to working around heavy equipment and hazardous heat and chemicals, the potential for injury is high.
Equipment to use: There are different types of gloves and hand protection to use depending on the task. Welding calls for welding specific gloves, rubber gloves for concrete work and insulated gloves while working around electrical and weather hazards.
Head protection: To potential for head injury is nowhere near low when it comes to the construction site. Between falling objects, fixed objects, heavy equipment and accidental head contact to hazardous material, there is great risk for severe head injuries with lasting consequences.
Equipment to use: Every single worker on the construction site should be wearing a hard-hat that fits correctly. Hats should be inspected routinely to be sure they are functioning properly.
Hearing protection: Lastly, the amount of destructive noise present on the jobsite calls for proper ear protection to protect against hearing impairment and hearing loss.
Equipment to use: There are a variety of earplugs and earmuffs that provide proper protection depending on the task.
Proper construction site attire and safety equipment is just the beginning of worksite safety. Poor ergonomics should be corrected to make sure your body is moving the best that it can. You can find more on-site safety tips throughout our blog! For an on-site evaluation, contact us and we can join you at your place of work to make sure you are practicing correct work safety techniques.

What do miners, firefighters, electricians, plumbers, welders, loggers and so many more have in common? They all share a similar accessory that is a part of their everyday uniform – you guessed it, a hard hat! Hard hats are worn in a wide variety of industries with the purpose of keeping workers safe and preventing injuries. Unfortunately, there is not a “one-size-fits-all” method when it comes to choosing a hard hat. Listed below are six details to consider when selecting the best hard hat for you and your team.
Where do you work?You can’t begin to determine which hard hat will best fit your needs until you identify your job duties and work environment. Consider the hazards you may encounter to assess the type and class of hard hat you require.

1- TYPES AND CLASSES:
There are two types of hard hats that protect against different elements. Type I protects from objects that come from above while Type II hats protect from falling objects that come from above, side to side and front to back. In addition to falling debris, consider the risk of electric shock. Class E (electrical) hats can protect you from electric shock up to 20,000 volts, Class G (general) hats protect up to 2,200 volts and Class C (conductive) will not protect against electricity.

2 - MATERIALS
While plastic is one of the most commonly used materials to create hard hats, that doesn’t necessarily make it the best choice for you and your company. As instructed above, consider the possible hazards in your work environment to determine the most appropriate hard hat material. For example, if you work with extreme heat (like molten metals), a fiberglass hard hat would be the best option. Hats are made in a variety of materials to provide safety, so don’t automatically gravitate toward the more inexpensive or lightweight options.

3- SUSPENSION
The suspension of a hard hat is often considered the backbone. There are two types to choose from – pin-lock or ratchet. A pin-lock suspension is exactly what it sounds like – a locking mechanism that needs to be removed in order to lock the pin into the correct hole. A ratchet suspension can be adjusted while the hat remains on your head with a knob that loosens or tightens it. Hard hats provide four, six or eight suspension points. A hat with a higher number of suspension points will be able to reduce the risk of injury because the impact will be spread out between the various points.

4- FLAIR
Aside from the basics, you can have a little fun with your hard hat selection! Many hard hats offer additional features such as vented hats to keep you cool, inserts made from terry cloth to keep sweat to a minimum and a variety of other liners. You could even go as far as customizing a hat with various colors, patterns and/or logos. If you’ll be wearing it often, you might want to make sure you’re comfortable with the way it looks and feels.

Do you have a better idea about how to proceed in choosing your very own hard hat? We sure hope so – because it is a crucial decision with a lot on the line! Worksite safety is something we are passionate about and we would love to make sure you and your team are making every effort to stay safe. Let us know how we can help!